This invention relates to an information processing system such as a complex machine and more particularly to an information processing system made up of a plurality of hardware modules.
Hitherto, an art for transmitting fault information in an information processing system by facsimile has been known as disclosed in JP-A-5-167714. The art provides the merit of saving the user the trouble of calling a maintenance center when a fault occurs in the information processing system. Moreover, a maintenance person can previously determine the cause of the fault as compared with the case where the maintenance person goes to the field and collects the fault information, thus the maintenance person can provide necessary parts required for maintenance before he or she goes to the field; prompt maintenance work is enabled.
However, the art uses facsimile communication and thus has a disadvantage in that reliable transmission cannot be executed if the communication line is busy. Since a protocol for transmitting and receiving binary data that can be processed by the information processing system is not standardized for facsimile communication, it is difficult to transmit and receive maintenance information as binary data.
An art for transmitting fault information in an information processing system by electronic mail has also been known as disclosed in JP-A-8-286990. According to the art, sent electronic mail is stored in a mail server, thus the disadvantage in that information cannot be transmitted because the line is busy as in use of facsimile transmission described above is not involved in the art. A technique of adding binary data that can be processed by information processing systems to electronic mail like MIME (multipurpose Internet mail extensions) is in widespread use and it is easy to transfer such data by electronic mail.
An information processing system having complex functions such as a complex machine is made up of a plurality of hardware modules. Such an information processing system in a related art takes an internal configuration as shown in FIG. 22. That is, as shown here, the information processing system gets machine information from a hardware module having no network interface (module B) and converts the machine information into an electronic mail format and transmits the resultant information by a hardware module having a network interface (module A).
Thus, at the time of developing the module A, it is necessary to make it possible to process the machine information gotten from the module B in the format thereof. Therefore, the design period and the development period of the module A are prolonged. To extend the function of the module B, the function of the module A need to be changed.
An information processing system which receives electronic mail and performs various types of processing is also possible. For example, it is possible that software or a software patch is received and the software of the information processing system is updated in response to the received software or software patch. Hitherto, such an information processing system has needed to take an internal configuration as shown in FIG. 23. That is, as shown here, the information processing system receives electronic mail at a hardware module having a network interface (module A) and converts information contained in the electronic mail into a format in which the information can be transferred between modules and passes the resultant information to a hardware module having no network interface (module B).
Thus, as in the above-described information processing system, at the time of developing the module A, it is necessary to make it possible to convert information into the format of data supplied to the module B. Therefore, the design period and the development period of the module A are prolonged. To extend the function of the module B, the function of the module A need to be changed.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an information processing system made up of a plurality of hardware modules for transmitting machine information by electronic mail, wherein it is made possible to develop a hardware module having a network interface without considering the contents or format of machine information gotten from a hardware module having no network interface.
It is another object of the invention to provide an information processing system made up of a plurality of hardware modules for transmitting machine information by electronic mail, wherein it is made possible to extend the function of a hardware module having no network interface without extending the function of a hardware module having a network interface.
It is another object of the invention to provide an information processing system made up of a plurality of hardware modules for receiving data by electronic mail, wherein it is made possible to develop a hardware module having a network interface without considering the contents or format of data supplied to a hardware module having no network interface.
It is another object of the invention to provide an information processing system made up of a plurality of hardware modules for receiving data by electronic mail, wherein it is made possible to extend the function of a hardware module having no network interface without extending the function of a hardware module having a network interface.
To these ends, according to aspect 1, there is provided an information processing system comprising:
a first module;
a second module being connected to an external system via a network, the second modules being connected with the first module, wherein
the first module comprises:
preparation means for preparing information on the first module to be transmitted to the external system in a format in which the external system recognizes the information; and
first transmission means for transmitting the module information on the first module prepared by the preparation means and a request for transferring the information to the external system to the second module, and
the second module comprises:
first transfer means for transferring the module information transmitted by the first transmission means to the external system in accordance with the transfer request.
The Network Includes the Telephone
In the invention, an electronic mail transmission request issued from the electronic mail transmission request means is sent through the communication means (first transmission means) to the electronic mail transmission means (first transmission means). That is, the electronic mail transmission request in a format common to the hardware modules is sent from the electronic mail transmission request means in the hardware module not connected to the network through the communication means to the electronic mail transmission means and is transmitted from the electronic mail transmission means to the network.
In the invention according to aspect 2, there is provided the information processing system as in aspect 1, wherein
the second module further comprises:
second transmission means for transmitting address information indicating an address of the first transfer means to the first module, and
the first module further comprises:
first reception means for receiving the address information transmitted by the second transmission means; and
first storage means for storing the address information received by the first reception means, and wherein
the first transmission means transmits the information on the first module and a request for transferring the information to the external system to the address indicated by the address information stored in the first storage means.
In the invention, the electronic mail transmission request destination is sent from the electronic mail transmission request destination notification means (second transmission means) installed in the hardware module having the electronic mail transmission means to a different module, which then receives the electronic mail transmission request destination at the electronic mail transmission request destination notification reception means (first reception means), whereby the different hardware module can get the address of the electronic mail transmission means as the electronic mail transmission request destination. The electronic mail transmission request means references the address stored in the electronic mail transmission request destination storage means (first storage means), whereby to transmit electronic mail from a hardware module not connected to the network, the address to which an electronic mail transmission request is to be sent can be gotten automatically.
In the invention according to aspect 3, there is provided the information processing system as in aspect 1, wherein
the first module further comprises:
second reception means for receiving module information and a request for transferring the information to the external system from a different module connected; and
second transfer means for transferring the module information and the request for transferring the information to the external system received by the second reception means to the second module.
In the invention, the electronic mail transmission request transmitted from the electronic mail transmission request means (second reception means; second transfer means) is transferred by the electronic mail transmission request transfer means (second transfer means) to a different hardware module and finally, electronic mail is transmitted from the electronic mail transmission means to the network.
In the invention according to aspect 4, there is provided the information processing system as in aspect 3, wherein
the first module further comprises:
second transmission means for transmitting address information indicating an address of the second transfer means to the different module.
In the invention, the electronic mail transmission request destination notification means (second transfer means) receives the electronic mail transmission request destination, whereby the address of the electronic mail transmission means is transferred from one hardware module to another. Further, the electronic mail transmission request transfer means receives the electronic mail transmission request and transfers the received electronic mail transmission request to the request destination stored in the electronic mail transmission request destination storage means, whereby the hardware module taking charge of transferring the electronic mail transmission request informs the adjacent hardware module that the hardware module taking charge of transferring becomes the destination; resultantly, electronic mail can be transferred in sequence.
In the invention according to aspect 5, there is provided the information processing system as in aspect 1, wherein
the second module further comprises second storage means for storing address information indicating an address of the external system, and
the first transfer means transfers the module in formation to the address indicated by the address information stored in the second storage means.
In the invention, the electronic mail transmission means transmits electronic mail to the destination stored in the first destination storage means (second storage means), so that electronic mail can be transmitted from every hardware module to a predetermined destination.
In the invention according to aspect 6, there is provided the information processing system as in aspect 1, wherein
the first module further comprises third storage means for storing address information indicating an address of the external system, and
the first transfer means transfers the module information to the address indicated by the address information stored in the third storage means.
In the invention, the electronic mail transmission request means makes a request for transmitting electronic mail to the destination stored in the second destination storage means (third storage means), so that electronic mail can be transmitted to a predetermined destination for each hardware module.
In the invention, an electronic mail transmission request transmitted from the electronic mail transmission request means is transferred through the communication means and the predetermined bus to the electronic mail transmission means, and is transmitted from the electronic mail transmission means to the network. That is, electronic mail prepared in a predetermined hardware module is sent on the bus to the electronic mail transmission means without passing through another hardware module; electronic mail can be transmitted without imposing a load on another hardware module.
In the invention, as the information processing system, printout, facsimile input/output, and copy can be executed and electronic mail can be transmitted to the network in the format common to the hardware modules.
In the present invention according to aspect 7, there is provided an information processing system comprising:
a first module;
a second module being connected to an external system via a network, the second module being connected with the first module, wherein
the second module comprises:
third reception means for receiving processing information and a request for transferring the information to a destination module via a network; and
third transfer means for transferring the processing information received by the third reception means to the first module in accordance with the transfer request, and
the first module comprises:
processing means for performing processing based on the processing information transferred by the third transfer means.
In the invention, electronic mail sent through the network is transferred from the electronic mail transfer means (third reception means; third transfer means) to a predetermined hardware module and thus is also transferred to a hardware module having no means for connecting to the network and can be processed in the electronic mail processing means (processing means).
In the invention according to aspect 8, there is provided the information processing system as in aspect 7, wherein
the first module further comprises:
third transmission means for transmitting address information indicating an address of the processing means to the second module, and
the second module further comprises:
fourth reception means for receiving the address information transmitted by the third transmission means; and
third storage means for storing the address information received by the fourth reception means, and wherein
the third transfer means transfers the processing information to the address indicated by the address information stored in the third storage means.
In the invention, the address of the electronic mail processing means in the hardware module to which the received electronic mail is to be transferred is propagated to the electronic mail transfer destination notification reception means (fourth reception means from third transmission means). That is, if a hardware module not connected to the network is connected, the electronic mail transfer destination address to the hardware module is propagated to the hardware module receiving electronic mail directly from the network. The electronic mail transfer means gets the address from the quotation information stored in the electronic mail transfer destination storage means (third storage means), whereby the electronic mail transfer destination is determined and the electronic mail can be transferred to the electronic mail transfer destination.
In the invention according to aspect 9, there is provided the information processing system as in aspect 7, wherein
the first module further comprises:
fifth reception means for receiving the address information indicating the address of the processing means contained in a different module; and
replacement means for replacing the address information received by the fifth reception means with the address information received by the fourth reception means, and wherein
the third transmission means transmits the address information provided by the replacement means to the second module.
In the invention, the electronic mail transfer destination address is transferred from one hardware module to another by the electronic mail transfer destination notification transfer means (fifth reception means). Further, the electronic mail transfer means contained in a hardware module not connected to the network transfers received electronic mail to the transfer destination stored in the electronic mail transfer destination storage means, whereby the hardware module taking charge of transferring the electronic mail informs the adjacent hardware module that the hardware module taking charge of transferring becomes the destination; resultantly, electronic mail can be transferred in sequence.
In the invention, electronic mail sent through the network is received at the electronic mail transfer means and is transferred to a predetermined hardware module through the communication means connected to the predetermined bus. That is, the electronic mail transfer means can transfer electronic mail to another hardware module on the predetermined bus, thus electronic mail can be transferred without imposing a load on any other hardware module than the hardware module of the transfer destination.
In the invention, as the information processing system, printout, facsimile input/output, and copy can be executed and electronic mail sent via the network can be processed in the format common to the hardware modules.